Footage of Australia’s biggest drug find after 2.4 tonnes of cocaine were intercepted

One of the men arrested after Australian police foiled a Mexican cartel’s attempt to bring 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth $1 billion into the country has been reported missing by his family.

Filipe Valesu, 30, disappeared from his Sydney home on November 18 and 12 days later sparked a report containing his picture from NSW Police asking for his whereabouts.

He was one of 12 people arrested following the largest drug bust in the country’s history.

US authorities intercepted the shipment off the South American coast in late November and alerted WA police.

Australian authorities swapped the drugs for counterfeit plaster-filled packaging before dumping them in the ocean 80 kilometers off the coast of WA.

In the covert international operation, police dropped a fake shipment of cocaine about 40 nautical miles west of Perth, where a coastal party allegedly made multiple efforts to locate and retrieve it, leading to their arrest

WA Police arrest one of the suspected smugglers at Hillary’s Boat Harbor in WA

Filipe Valesu, 30, was reported missing by his family in Sydney in November before being arrested on December 31 following the cocaine bust

A coastal party then allegedly made multiple efforts to find and recover it – while police watched closely.

They allegedly used two boats, Cool Runnings and The Catalina, to make a series of trips near the dropped packages before finding them.

WA Police released extraordinary footage showing multiple phases of the dramatic operation.

In one clip, officers heave dozens of large packages weighing up to 1.2 tons into the sea during a night operation.

The huge packages were so heavy that officers had to kick them from the back of the boat before waving them goodbye.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the team spent two days monitoring the drop-off point using drones and ground crew.

Then they spotted a boat trying to find the cargo while a second boat joined them.

Aerial footage showed three officers sprinting across the Moore River beach to apprehend three of the suspected smugglers in one of the boats.

The Catalina searched for the massive drug shipment off the coast of WA

Cool Runnings also took part in the search for the fake drugs on behalf of the police and his crew is said to have found them

On December 31, nine men were charged with attempted possession of 1.2 tons of cocaine after search warrants were executed across the city.

Filipe Valesu was among them, having gone missing a month earlier, when police issued the alert, citing his family’s concerns at his “atypical” disappearance.

“He was last seen at Sydney Domestic Airport around 8am on Friday (18 November 2022),” police wrote.

“Filipe is described as a Pacific Islander/Maori, approximately 175 cm tall, of solid build, with black hair and a black beard. He has tribal tattoos on both arms.”

It is unclear if his sighting at the airport is related to his alleged trip to WA.

Others arrested include Laban Joshua Saininaivalu from Champion Lakes, William Seru from NSW and nomad Reremoana Kahui Patrick Stanley, who are believed to have been on board the vessel Cool Runnings, The West Australian reports.

American Justin Lujan Wetherbee and NSW residents Neil Michael McGregor, Kelepi Lovodua, Paul Anthony Masterson and Issac Henry Rabuatoka were arrested on board the Catalina and in raids after raids on hotels in Perth.

They were accused of attempting to possess cocaine with a view to selling or supplying it.

WA Police make arrest at Hillary boat harbor near Perth after massive operation

Police used drones to monitor the decoy drug delivery

Another man, Kenny Chen, was arrested after New Year’s Eve and charged with attempted possession of 200kg of cocaine.

More information led officers to a vehicle traveling on the Great Eastern Highway, where they discovered more than $2 million in cash and charged another man and woman.

Commissioner Blanch said it was a complex operation involving dozens of special officers and detectives.

“This operation allowed us to extract those syndicate members who were equipped and ready to receive and distribute a significant amount of illegal drugs in the community that might otherwise have gone undetected and awaited the next shipment,” said he.

“Our goal is to identify and apprehend those responsible for shipping the drugs, but also those criminal syndicates on land who are out to profit and profit from the distribution in our community.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk